Author: Ejinstein Essibu

Germany was a really interesting experience. Honestly, it would be an interesting experience for a lot of people due to tot the fact that you are in a place with a different culture and beliefs compared to where we come from. I love the fact that the places in Germany are made of cement and brick instead of wood and metal, unlike the US. I love their food especially the donner kebabs, being tasty, healthy and cheap. Some interesting things which I questioned in the trip were why beer was cheaper than water, why you have to pay to use a public bathroom, why you have to pay for ketchup and why to pay for a bag in the grocery store. Apart from that, I could honestly say that I loved Germany so much that I could see myself living there. 

During the trip, we lived in a hotel which looked like a castle and went to many places. The favorite places we went to was in Heidelberg and Koln. The main reason because we lived in a 4.3-star hotel and a hotel 4.5-star hotel. We saw a lot of churches of course but what piqued my interest was how they each church we went to be unique in how it looks the history they had. We also went to the concentration camps, and honestly, that was a place I thought I would never go to. I have about them. Going over there made me feel different from reading about it. Being over there made me be sad, angry and disappointed in humankind for obvious reasons. 

The Engr 202 class and the German class we took during the trip were great. I was really surprised that we managed to finish the Engr 202 class and understood the course within 5 weeks. Although there were times we had to stay up at night to understand and finish the homework. It was also nice to know people and make a lot of friends during the trip. 

So in conclusion, Germany was worth it. 

First Thoughts

I am on this summer program to learn about the culture of Germany, develop my german speaking skills and create new relationships with other students. My strength is to help others who are need of help in any way if is in the context of this engineering class we are taking. My prayer is to hope that nothing wrong happens throughout the whole trip.

Gerald Ford Airport. Saw some trusses.

 

Initial Reflections on Germany

Before I went to Berlin, I was expecting tall buildings and some archaic buildings made out of wood and sometimes cement. However, when I went to Berlin, I was really surprised because I was getting a feeling of familiarity. This was due to the cement buildings and short buildings, unlike the United States which use mostly metal and wood. Where I’m from, Ghana, almost everything is short and mostly made of cement.  Thus, I got a nostalgic feeling of home and feeling of curiosity towards the city.  Staying in Berlin has made me miss getting water and ketchup for free. It made me realize how I took them for granted.  What I am really going to miss the donner kebabs. If they brought it to the states, I would buy it every day.

 

 

 

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp

This trip to the concentration camp made me feel emotions of anger, fear, and disappointment. I felt angry that something so evil happened, I am also disappointed in the people, for example, the churches, who allowed this evil to thrive and made me fear what will happen in the future due to the fact that this catastrophe was started by man, therefore meaning another catastrophe similar could be caused by another person.

 

 

Köln Cathedral

I have been to a lot of churches but that church was the biggest and one of the most detailed churches I have ever seen. I was even shocked and understood why it took them 600 years to make something this grand building. The church service was also interesting. Unlike, the catholic churches I’ve been to, they used incense. This use of incense changed the feeling I was receiving from the church. Throughout the whole trip, I never saw people waiting and standing for another service of a church. I was sad and happy to see that because even though most are coming as a tourist, there is always a chance God will touch some of them.